4 ways to say NO to plastic bottles when you travel

I have a holiday to Myanmar coming up. I am eagerly counting down, until I get to shut down my computer, ditch my phone and spend two weeks in a new land.

I also plan to say no to plastic bottles.

Myanmar (also known as Burma) lays snugly between Thailand, India, China, Laos and Bangladesh. Besides being worried about snakes (I hear they have many) I am also worried about, the waste I could potentially create while I am there from plastic water bottles.

Why am I thinking of buying water bottles when I can use my trusty Sigg bottles? Myanmar does not have safe tap water and buying plastic bottles is the easiest way to avoid getting sick.

Water is kind of a necessity so I’m in a little bit of a panic mode thinking of how I am going to combat this issue. Especially with the heat, I know my water intake will be higher than normal. A lot higher.

I cringe thinking back to how many plastic bottles I went through in India or Cambodia. Often these countries do not have adequate tap water and your reliance on a disposable bottle of water becomes greater. Then you travel around these countries and see where these water bottles end up in make do landfill on the side of the road, discarded in local environments and clogging up waterways.

Image from ecosalon.com

And here I sit, sipping water from my glass realiSing with uneasy guilt just how much we take water for granted. Not just clean water, the ability to reuse the vessels it comes to us in.

So what am I going to do?

I researched a whole bunch of methods to remedy this, exhausting google with terms like ‘how to purify’ or ‘how can I drink water safely in Myamar.’

The internet coughed up results like tablets, purifiers, LifeStraws, and boiling water.

Tablets were my first go to option. But then reading in more depth, the chemical factor got to me. The tablets varied between iodine and Micropur, each with drawbacks like the chemicals going into my body and high iodine levels. But the ease of popping tablets into water and waiting for them to work their magic does make them an easy and carefree option. Then I think of the packaging of the tablets. It all got a bit much and I put them into the ‘might be good in case of emergency’ list.

Filters looked great. The total filter especially ticked yes boxes. The price and size of the ones that offered filtration of parasites made me take a step back. If I was going somewhere for a longer period of time I wold definitely go in this direction. Plus Cheryl Strayed made working filters sound like fun. Really, she did. Yep, they are made with plastic but can be reused many MANY times. It’s disposable plastic I am trying to avoid here after all.

LifeStraw is a miraculous device that works as a straw but with a built in filter. Check it out, because it is awesome. The straw lasts for 3-5 years, depending on how much it is used. So the potential for it to be used over a long period of time is definitely a bonus. Plus the price is affordable. There are different styles but I am having a hard time reading their website, so will need a little more investigating.

Boiling water seemed like the best option and most effective. Boiling water will kill all the harmful things that make people sick. Then all I need to do is transfer my boiled water to my Sigg water bottles. So simple and I know I can boil water. The only problem is finding a place to boil water. The logical step is to email places that I am staying to see if they have kitchens that I can use. The downside is if I want to make the time in my busy schedule to sit down and boil close to 2L of water each night.

As you can see, there are options.

I know there will be instances when I will need to buy a plastic water bottle. There is nothing worse than being sick, even more so when you are in a foreign land and can’t speak the language. If I have to choose between myself and a plastic bottle, I will ultimately pick what is best for my health. Until I am faced with that decision I will do the best I can. I have seen what a country looks like with consumption of plastic being tossed aside and forgotten. I don’t want to leave my waste behind for them to deal with. I want to explore this country with purpose and tread lightly.

Have you used any of the above methods for dodging plastic consumption while travelling or use for other reasons? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

If you want to help get clean water to Myanmar check this article here and here (I know the last link are a company that produces plastic products, but hey, they are trying to help).